On Fat Tuesday, February 16, the Ann Arbor Summer Festival will offer a live entertainment program that blends elements of cabaret, circus and burlesque, accompanied by a 3-course meal, and followed by an underground afterparty.

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AnnArbor.com file photo

Gratzi and La Dolce Vita — both residing in a space that was once, fittingly, the Orpheum Theatre, which presented vaudeville acts when it opened in 1913 — will be the venue for the Big TOP Revue, AASF's Mardi Gras Day fundraiser.

A cocktail reception begins at 6 p.m., with hors d'oeuvres and live music, followed by a seated dinner (3 entrée options) and cabaret entertainment at 7 p.m. Immediately following dessert, guests will be invited downstairs to La Dolce Vita at 9 p.m. for an afterparty show, featuring more wine, spirits, and late-night follies.

Tickets for just the afterparty cost $35, while all-inclusive tickets cost $150 ($1,500 for a corporate sponsor table seating 8). Proceeds benefit the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, which is a nonprofit program that offers both free and ticketed concerts/cultural events, as well as free outdoor movies, for 6 weeks each summer.

The fundraiser is part of a series of changes at the festival designed to cope with a difficult financial situation.

To reserve tickets for AASF's Big TOP Revue fundraiser, call 734-994-5999, or visit the AASF web site.

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.